LOVELY BUBBLY
Last year when we faced the Danes at Wembley we had no fans, no fun and a lot of flak, now it’s all...
GARETH SOUTHGATE reckons he’s gone from misery to magnificence to find himself on the brink of history.
Southgate has swapped the ridiculous for the sublime in the space of nine mad months following a roller-coaster ride through international football.
England were forced to play three games in October behind closed doors due to the pandemic that had turned the world upside down.
The Three Lions did mange to win two of those games, a friendly against Wales and Nations League encounter against Belgium.
But next came a 1-0 defeat to tonight’s Euro 2020 semi-final opponents Denmark in the Nations League.
It proved to be a miserable night for Southgate as he saw Harry Maguire, seemingly in a tailspin following his arrest in Mykonos the previous summer, sent off for two bookable offences in a wretched 31 minutes.
Christian Eriksen celebrated his 100th cap by scoring a controversial penalty before England’s frustrations boiled over at the final whistle as Reece James saw red for dissent.
The performance left Southgate down in the dumps and his leadership questioned.
But fast forward to now and Southgate is on the cusp of history and greatness as his Three Lions get set for a last-four showdown with the Danes in front of 60,000 delirious fans.
Southgate said: “I have to say, the autumn was a very difficult period for us, so many things that we had to deal with before we named the first squad in September, through to events that happened during the games.
“We hardly had the opportunity to field our strongest team, and it was the start of a period I felt a high level of criticism and judgment, so it was a definite shift in how we were viewed.
“It was the first time I’d experienced that since Russia.
“We were in an interesting period – midway through the pandemic, no fans in the stadiums. It was a very different experience. I can’t say I enjoyed the autumn matches at all. The Covid restrictions on the camps were really inhibiting, with lads not able to sit and chat.
“So much of what we are about as a team is this social part and this connection with each other.
“I thought it was a miserable experience for the players. We were fulfilling fixtures rather than looking forward to them.
“It’s been a joy to be in a bubble now where we’ve been able to sit outside all the time, where we’re tested so regularly that we’ve had the freedom in the camp.
“As well as the time you’ve had to work with the players, I think it’s made a massive difference to how we’ve been able to work.”
Southgate reckons his stars will not be intimidated tonight, despite knowing full well what is at stake.
He added: “I think they’re just looking forward to a hugely exciting opportunity. They understand that to play in tournaments is what international football ultimately is all about.
“They know that this is a great chance to be the first team to get to a final. But they’re excited by it, I don’t think they’re inhibited by it.
“That’s why I’m not worried about the occasion. We had that with the opening game and we dealt with that. We had that with the Germany game and we dealt with that.
“I think the message for them is: I’ve got total trust in them and they’re ready.”